The Journey of Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 87 - 73: Disaster Master Comes Knocking (10 Consecutive Updates 1)

Chapter 87: Chapter 73: Disaster Master Comes Knocking (10 Consecutive Updates 1)

Compared to the previous day, today was very peaceful all day long, albeit the journey became somewhat difficult. But who in the caravan trade would fuss about that? Especially when there was meat delivered right to their doorstep, thus the voices of laughter and joy in the camp tended to get louder at night.

He Xiaojiu was in great shape, having recovered enough in just one day to be able to move around. He was of good temper, so the brothers of the merchant team teased him for a long while, amidst continuous laughter and noise.

However, it was only a short while later when Deng Hao heavily hushed everyone with a "shush," commanding everyone, "Silence!" With his authoritative presence in the team, in a matter of seconds, the whole camp quieted down and no one spoke another word.

The ones with keen hearing could discern the faint sound of footsteps from within the woods, accompanied by the rustling of leaves being trampled over. Beasts and demons would not make such loud noises.

"Someone’s approaching," everyone exchanged glances. These were the deep mountains of the Great Wilderness, not a backyard garden for leisurely walks; a nocturnal visitor was likely to bear no good intentions. Everyone understood the old adage well—some merchant teams in their regular trade would shed their disguises in secluded areas to transform into bandits.

The group that emerged from the woods totaled only about thirty people, indeed carrying an air of banditry. With the bright moonlight tonight, they were actually on foot, suggesting their stronghold was nearby. Yet looking at their attire, it was clearly the uniform of another merchant group, not the typical masked bandits dressed in black, afraid of being recognized.

What was the intention of this bunch? Everyone stayed silent, waiting for the leader’s instructions. The camp had over two hundred people; the opposing side, which brought just over thirty and yet appeared so confident, surely had some backing— who wouldn’t believe that?

Deng Hao stood up as well. Once he straightened up, his appearance naturally took on a look of loyalty and sincerity which was quite deceptive. "Who goes there?" he said crisply, hinting that no courtesy was needed for visitors at this hour.

The atmosphere at this small clearing in the woods became a bit tense for a moment.

The leader on the other side had eyes gleaming with sharpness, arms and knees bent, his expression severely grim. Ning Xiaoxian never believed in the saying "Appearance reflects the heart," but upon seeing this man, he couldn’t help but feel that if this person wasn’t scheming and cunning, it would simply be a disservice to his face.

"I am Luo You, Deputy Leader of the Qingzhou branch of the Langxing Trading Company," he began to speak, "Yesterday, our young master was hunting, and the prey, cunning as it was, managed to escape. Our merchant team followed the trail here, but we lost the prey only to find traces of your group."

Every merchant group has its own name and flags. Deng Hao’s merchant team, for example, has a flag on the lead carriage depicting a long-winged tiger, thus the name of the merchant team is Cloud Tiger Trading Team.

Merchant groups vary in size; with Deng Hao managing over two hundred people, his team is considered mid-to-small scale and is simply called a merchant team. Whereas larger companies can dispatch large-scale merchant teams that frequently operate in the Northwest and Central North Region, with their numbers easily reaching into the thousands—quite impressive.

Deng Hao’s heart sank. He had heard of the Langxing Trading Company; this company, having a background with the immortal sect, conducted business without much regard for propriety or rules. From an insider’s perspective, this company was not very professional, yet it is no small organization, maintaining four branches in the central region of the Nan Zhanbu Continent. The Qingzhou branch was one of them.

He frowned and said, "What does your master losing his prey have to do with us?"

"My young master, the third son of the steward of Langxing Trading Company’s headquarters, was hunting a Bear Demon yesterday. Unfortunately, the demon escaped after being wounded by a sword. The Young Master instructed us to retrieve the prey, so—," he shrugged, "here we are."

Deng Hao coolly said, "As you can see, there are only people here, no bear. You’ve chased to the wrong place. It’s getting late, please return."

Luo You, however, turned a deaf ear, and walked to the big pot by the fire, chuckled and said, "Your merchant team has nice meals. We could smell the delightful aroma from miles away."

Such pretentious posturing immediately angered Deng Hao’s men, but seeing how confident he was, they didn’t know what kind of card this grandson was holding. People present had been in the trade for many years, not easily willing to tear off facial courtesy or to resort to knives.

Whistle’s gaze flickered, suddenly saying, "Your young master injured the Bear Demon by himself? Where is he then, why didn’t he come himself?" He was sparing with words, but his question was spot-on, particularly emphasizing the word "alone."

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